The Durham Town Council will hold a public hearing at its regular meeting scheduled for Monday, February 6, 2012 at 7:00 PM in the Durham Town Hall Council Chambers located at 15 Newmarket Road. The purpose of this public hearing is to obtain citizen input on a bond referendum to be placed on the March 13, 2012 Town Election ballot to authorize the issuance of $2,600,000 in bonds or notes, issued in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Finance Act (RSA 33), in order to fund a portion of the cost of constructing and equipping a new library.

All interested citizens are invited to attend the public hearing and to express their views. Questions concerning the proposed library and bond referendum should be directed to Douglas Bencks, Chair, Durham Library Board of Trustees at 603-868-6559, dbencks@comcast.net.

Written comments will be accepted until 5:00 PM on Friday, February 3, 2012 at the Town Administrator's office. Comments may also be sent by electronic mail to: jberry@ci.durham.nh.us.

[Posted:01/30/12]

On October 31, 2011, Local Government Center attorney Christine Fillmore gave a Right-to-Know Law presentation. Members of the Town of Durham's boards, committees, commissions, Town Council, and Library Board of Tru539295 stees serve as members of public boards and are therefore responsible to act in accordance with the Right-to-Know law in the State of New Hampshire. The Preamble of the Right-to-Know law reads: "Openness in the conduct of public business is essential to a democratic society. The purpose of this chapter is to ensure both the greatest possible public access to the actions, discussions and records of all public bodies, and their accountability to the people." This session was held in order to ensure that the members of Durham's public boards were given the resources they need to act in accord with RSA 91-A. Follow the link below to view the PowerPoint presentation provided by attorney Fillmore.
Right to Know Powerpoint

[Posted:11/10/11]

An overview intended to provide a snapshot of activity for the last year to keep the Council updated on progress toward Council goals as part of a year end wrap up for 2011, as well as for the Town Administrators annual self-assessment/evaluation process.

Wrap Up

[Posted:01/30/12]

As an abutter to the Capstone property, the Town was notified along with others by the Planning Board as soon as this project began the permitting process last year. The Trustees of the Trust Funds, who serve as the Cemetery Committee (along with 3 council members), were advised of the design and appeared at a Planning Board meeting to address any issues regarding impact to the cemetery

After several meetings with the developer and landscape designer, it was agreed that the developer would construct, and maintain, an 8-foot solid wood fence running the length of their property on the west side, all along the back of the cemetery on the north side, and for a short distance along Technology Drive (behind the white shed). In addition, the developer would install landscaping consisting of large, mature cedar and arborvitae trees as well as a few sugar maples to provide both a visual and noise shield. I have attached a copy of the fence and landscaping plan. Tree selection was made in consultation with Mary Reynolds, the NH State Arborist and Durham resident, and Charles Moreno, a registered forester who has worked with the Trustees at Doe Farm. The owner of the property, including all future owners, is required to maintain the fence and the landscaping in perpetuity, so that the Town is not saddled with any costs.

The site plan for the project calls for buildings to be built quite close to the property line (partially as a result of the Conservation Committee's requirement that the entire project be shifted eastward away from the river). This resulted in the need to cut most of the trees along the fence. Our consulting forester recommended that we also cut (at the developer's expense) the remaining few large pines on the Cemetery property, since they would likely not do well in a 'stand-alone' situation, and would pose a risk of blow-over into the Cemetery at some point.

As a result, once the project is completed in the Spring and the fence is installed, the view looking back will indeed be changed. What you will see is the roofs (and perhaps some of the second stories) of the five cottages that are close to the property line, with a large solid fence between the buildings and the road, along with plantings of 5-6 foot cedars and arborvitae on both sides of the fence, and four or five 8-12 foot sugar maples in front of the fence closest to your family plot. These trees will quickly grow and provide additional visual shielding over the next few years. Capstone, who will own and operate the development, has assured us that their on-site management will work closely with us regarding any noise or other issues.

In addition, on the recommendation of our consulting forester, we will be removing some of the older, large pine trees along the back of the cemetery this winter as a precaution against their falling into the cemetery due to their age and condition. This should not impact the view in that direction as there will be no buildings in that area and we will be leaving the healthier trees standing.

Fence and Landsape Detailed

Fence and Landscape Plan

Property Taxes

The property tax year runs from April 1st to March 31st, with bills issued twice a year. The first payment is due, on or about, July 1st each year. This payment is considered an advance payment of the current year taxes and is approximately the same as the previous December's bill. This payment is considered to cover the period April 1st to September 30th.

The current year tax rate is set annually during an appointment with the State of New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration, generally in October. Because the date of this appointment with the state fluctuates greatly, the second payment due date will also fluctuate. The second bill will be due no sooner than December 1st but no later than 30 days from the date of the bill, which could be any date after November 1st annually. This payment is considered to cover the period October 1st to March 31st. All payments made after the due date are subject to a 12% interest rate.

Advanced Payments

For those who would like to make more frequent partial payments toward a tax bill, we will accept advance payments in any denomination after January 1st each year. Payments should clearly state the property owner and parcel for which the payment is to be applied. Advanced payments should be mailed directly to the Tax Collector's office at 15 Newmarket Road, Durham, NH 03824.

We send one bill for each billing period, directly to the property owner. If your mortgage company will be paying your taxes you may need to furnish them with the bill. Many mortgage companies hire tax services to retrieve this information for them, if this is the case, you will not need to do anything. Every mortgage company has different requirements. It is up to you to contact them to determine how they get their information.

Payments can be sent by mail to our lockbox in the envelope enclosed with the bill, mailed directly to the Tax Collector's Office at 15 Newmarket Road, Durham, NH 03824, or paid in person over the counter at the Town Hall. Payment may be made by cash, check, money order or credit card. Please note, that the credit card companies charge a 2.75% convenience fee. This convenience fee will be added to the amount of your tax bill. If you pay in cash, you must stay until your payment is counted and verified. If you want a receipt, the entire bill must be presented. If you want a receipt and pay by mail, enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

[Posted:11/28/11]

On October 27, 2011, representatives from the Town of Durham and the University of New Hampshire met to discuss the new UNH Flow Physics Facility (a.k.a., the FPF, or the UNH Wind Tunnel). Participants included Town Council Chair Diana Carroll, Town Councilor Julian Smith, and Administrator Todd Selig; Jan Nisbet, UNH Vice Provost and Durham resident; Joe Klewicki, former Dean of Engineering and now Professor of Mechanical Engineering, also a Durham resident; and Paul Chamberlin, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Energy.

Following that productive discussion, Todd Selig and Joe Klewicki developed a Q&A covering in some detail the concerns addressed in that meeting. "A Conversation between Engineering Professor Joe Klewicki and Administrator Selig."

UNH organized an Open House on Saturday, December 3, 2011 for interested residents to view the facility. Approximately 30 people were in attendance.

[Updated: 12/05/11]

The Town of Durham is updating the 2000 Master Plan and will be holding a series of meetings over the next several months to begin amending the Master Plan. We will be updating the following chapters: Commercial Core, Environmental and Cultural Resources, Economic Development (Tax Stabilization), and Land Use. In addition, a new Energy Chapter will be added to the Master Plan. The Town is still looking for volunteers to be on the Master Plan Advisory Committee (MPAC). This Committee will help lead the Master Plan update, review updated chapters and work with the consultant/staff to help keep consistency within the updated chapters, work to keep updates on track and moving forward, work to keep the public informed and involved, and will report to the Planning Board. The MPAC will also keep the Citizen Forum Report and Citizen Survey results in mind while reviewing the various chapters.

It is important to keep in mind that we are not doing a complete rewrite of the Master Plan but rather an update. As part of this process we have already held a public forum and created and tabulated a citizen survey to elicit public comment on the Master Plan update. We have taken a different path to accomplish this update than we did with the previous Master Plan, but the previous effort was more of a complete rewrite than what we are looking to do with this update. The current Master Plan is still valid and there is still work to be done to follow through with what was proposed in 2000. For the updates, we have hired a consultant to work with the various Boards, Committees, and Director of Planning & Community Development in drafting the various updates rather than rewriting each chapter by committee. For example, the Energy Committee has been working diligently on drafting their chapter and has also worked with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) on the draft. The consultant has met with the Committee and the SRPC staff person to review the draft and offer comments and will continue to meet with them. Does this mean the public will not have an opportunity to comment? No, that is not what it means at all. The public is invited and encouraged to attend any and all meetings dealing with the master plan and each chapter will be presented to the public for comment. The comments will be taken into consideration, the chapters possibly amended from those comments, and then public hearings held on the chapters before they are adopted sometime next year.

The schedule is fluid. While we will make every attempt to keep on schedule, we know that this is not always possible. We will continue to monitor the schedule and make adjustment as needed. You will find the schedule below and any updates to the schedule will also be posted there. You will soon be able to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. For more information please contact Jim Campbell, Director of Planning & Community Development.

General Schedule for Update
Master Plan Forum Report
Master Plan Survey Summary
Durham Master Plan Survey Responses
MasterPlan Survey Summary Condensed
Open-ended Reponses
Draft Energy Chapter
Draft Commercial Core Chapter (coming soon)
Draft Economic Development Chapter (coming soon)
Master Plan Advisory Committee (coming soon)

[Posted:11/10/11]

The State of New Hampshire is currently in the process of redistricting the House of Representatives, the State Senate, Executive Council, County Commissioner Districts and the two Federal Congressional Districts. The new districts are being drawn based on the recent 2010 Census data.

Public Hearings have been scheduled in each of the counties.  The goal of these hearings is to get a clear understanding of how citizens feel they should be represented. Communities and/or individuals with specific concerns or thoughts regarding how the new districts are formed are encouraged to attend. These hearings will be open for verbal as well as written testimony. More information may be obtained from the Special Committee on Redistricting web page: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?code=H48

The public hearing in Strafford County will be held on Tuesday, October 25th, 7:00 pm, at the Strafford County Superior Court, Court Room 1, Dover.  The public hearing in Rockingham County will be held on Thursday, October 20th, 7:00 pm, at the Hilton Auditorium, Rockingham County Nursing Home, Brentwood. Please refer to the web site for the other county hearings.

[Posted:10/14/11]

To view the towns West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis Plan click here.

Over the past 8 months, the Workforce Housing Committee has considered the issue of workforce housing in Durham, and an approach to including amendments to the Zoning Ordinance (ZO) to provide incentives to develop such housing.  As part of this discussion, we addressed the following issues:

Durham’s current housing situation with respect to providing a “reasonable and realistic” opportunity for workforce housing both from a local and regional perspective; Impact of potential student demand for workforce housing; The suitability of Durham’s existing ZO to provide opportunity for workforce housing; and Potential locations within Durham for such housing.

In brief, we discovered that Durham’s housing was not meeting either the local or regional needs for workforce housing, that dependent students would not likely be an issue since they could not meet income qualifications for workforce housing, that Durham’s ZO did not provide opportunity for workforce housing and there were limited zones for such housing to be logically considered, especially for owner-occupied workforce housing.

Additional Information about Workforce Housing:

Concluding WFH memorandum

Guidance Document for WF Housing

RSA 674-58-61  Workforce Housing Summary

Sample Restrictive Covenant

Workforce Housing IZIP Summary

Workforce Housing Option for CS

The purpose of this Town-Wide market study was to provide the Town of Durham with a “bird’s eye view” analysis of primary real estate markets for the purposes of identifying trends and opportunities for short-term economic development initiatives. It should be noted that while as much data was collected as possible within the time frame of the study, this report does not represent an exhaustive compilation of demographics or real estate data. Click on the image to view the full version.

[Posted:04/15/11]

From June 2010 through February 2011, volunteers organized by Durham’s Economic Development
Committee (EDC) reached out to the business community to learn about their business and their
experience doing business in Durham, guided by a “discussionaire” template. The EDC also distributed a one-page anonymous survey to gauge business owners’ familiarity with, and support for, various projects and issues related to economic development. Thirdly, the EDC analyzed 2011 commercial tax records to round out our understanding of Durham’s business segments

View the full project description    View the survey results

[Posted:04/22/11]

If you are interested in the State's future plans for the Spaulding Turnpike/Little Bay Bridge, click on this document. For more information visit www.newington-dover.com.

[Posted:07/13/10]

After edits and additions to the document, the Durham Commercial Core Strategic Plan created by B. Dennis Town Design has arrived in its final form. The Plan is a detailed description of the planning Charrette held in November of 2009. It also includes an analysis of Durham’s past and current situation, an illustrative master plan, a review of our zoning, and an implementation plan. The strategic plan provides a road map for future economic and community development in Durham's downtown. Please feel free to read and/or download the document and join us in moving the plan from paper to reality.

view the plans

The grant application submitted by the Trust for Public Land and the NH Fish and Game Department pertaining to the Sprucewood Forest property is now available.

view the proposal

[Updated: 10/11/11]

Click the image to apply for vital records.

For your convenience, we are now able to offer dog license renewals online. All dogs are required to have a valid rabies vaccination and be licensed annually by April 30th. The 2010 dog tags are available now. To use this new feature simply select the Services tab, on the drop down menu select Online Dog Registration and supply the requested information. The registration will be processed and mailed to you. As always, you can still come into the office to renew licenses or submit your request for renewal by mail. To view fee information, select the Departments tab, on the drop down menu select Town Clerk/Tax Collector and Dog Licenses.